Lubricant filtering and dispensing tank



Feb.'10, 1948. F. B. HAi'RvuoT LUBRICANT FILTER ING AND DISPENSING TANK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 27, 1942 FRANK B HARVUOT INVENT OR. W%KW Feb. 10, 1948. F. B. HARVUOT 2,435,832

LUBRICANT FILTERING AND DISPENSING TANK Filed July 27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FRANK B. HflRVi/OT.

- INVENTOR.

BYW

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 10, 1948 TANK . t w iiiif fii... v Bowserflnc; a; corporation 6f Ifiilia Application July 27; 1942, sum-Ne. 453513 5 claims; (01. 1 4-55) This iny ehtio fi elates to lubrication system for d ees e @WHWW Q? lu ri an o bea ings- Mere p ci s allyr t e e es qee m i -i sssi e e endfi t r' t9 which i is il-'1 An object of the vention is to provide a lubrieating syst 'rhwhibhiwill dispe isluhricant at a very, slow fbiitj. fcq i r d r te t fl Referringgnow to :Figure ;1;, t l 1 e humeral I in}: clicatesa pressure type of 'lubrica t storage tank whichis; provided with ieet 3 and an; upper flange 5-. A. 09V??? .l' .c m t yw flange 9 is heldinplaqe on a suitable gasket (not; shown) byaolamp l j which; has-projections I3 adapted to :engage the tar k jiange and a hand screw [5 which is;;adapted-toforce the cover down, on the gasket;

v 1o An other ob et of the vir veritmn s to provide v hih'wi ypr v de r 131011 at 'Va libu SbbifitS at th fvte fqlliled at each." p t. Yet anbthe object 0ft d a stQfes teiikh the lubrieantasit'leavest kl n v A urt ef'Q Qi'ofi ew is r v an air operated 'storage tahl z h ch will dispense most of thel'ubrioant cox tair ed ftherein sense "to fibrofilter "for filtering Another object of; the invention is to provide an air feed storageftank -whidhiis eqi1ipped with a filter for the liquid'tobefdisharged. v

Another 'object'of jtheinvezitioh is to provide a lubrication system: comprising a storage tank, a filter and a fine feed oner' inwh'i'ch only filtered oil "is'supplied tothe 'oil'er' 0r lubrieatori Yet another'objectofthe invention is to provide a lubricator "which is'readily' regulated to dispense various sma11 amountsbf oil.

,Still another object. of the-invention is to provide an; oiler in which the flow regulating element or ,valve is a spring I Another object of the invention'is to provide: XL Q ZOf1Qhl i Q desc bedi w ic the prin may be compressed more or less to regulate the rate ,o ee h tnepnt a a .w v Y ,A rthe t; iect r ih he inv n Qn .'I T a lubricator in which the dischargeis visible and. hsi teqil c tebl t9 y th di h r v e e. ll 9 1 R P-E93 Wil .P FFQE ap a en i from a t s t f h see .ifi iig ae u he raw; ings whi e gareatt hed hereto and made a part hereofa'iidinwhio I H V A Figure l is anisometricview of the lubrieatio system iriludi' "the ora'ge tahk'fand an'oiler.

Figure Zisfa view with parts b aken away of A A the spring typevalvez plates and-'serves'fto The cover-"if fittedwith a-- vent walve'lfi and; with a T 1 'l--whic1r--is-attached by a pipe-1 9, T f" 2 i and nipple" 23 toapressur reducingwalve 25 andthis in turn'iseonne'cted to a high pressureair 1 line "21fwhich-has; a1 shut -off valve '28: The- 1 T 2| carries amressure gauge 29 FWhileT l'l is== connected tmarelief valve-'31 Afill plug 3215" provided in the cover.

i neai"the-bottom**thereof so that" the 1eve1*of= 0 oil in the-tank may lee-observed? The bottom 35 of the tankis providedwitw' an outlet "37*Wh'i'0h is 'bbnneiitewby pipes39 and 4 withthe oiler "43? The" bottom"-0fthe tank 'is "provided with a Y? rod at its lower and upper endsrespectively;"the

i i -s'.; ifitetjwn ee .nu' 13Thold the plate v iii position on the plate cup and filter may be readily removed from the tank.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, numeral 11 is a plug cock which is connected to line 4| and to the oiler 43. The latter comprises a body I9 which is provided with a tapped inlet 8| and a spring or valve chamber 83 which is connected to the inlet by a bore 85. A discharge opening 81 extends downwardly from chamber 83 while an enlarged and threaded bore 89 extends upwardly from the chamber and merges with an even larger, threaded bore 9 I.

A packing nut 93 is received in bore SH and is provided with a smooth internal bore 99 to receive the adjusting screw 95 whichcarries a reduced, cylindrical extension 91 at its lower end. A jam nut 99 is received on the adjusting screw and is adapted to be drawn up againstthe'packing nut to hold the screw adjustment.

The lower face of the extension 91 rests upon a plug IIII of synthetic rubber which is resistant to oils or other suitable yieldable material while a perforated washer I03 of the same material is disposed on the bottom of chamber 89, the hole I in the washer being in alignment with the discharge opening 81. The control valve or spring N11 is confined between these two washers and the ends of the. spring are sealed against passage of liquid around them.

As shown in Figure 5, the spring or valve comprises a helical coil of spring wire which is fiattened in cross-section to provide fiat upper and lower faces I09, III on each coil. There is accordingly provided by this valve a helical metering orifice H3 which has substantially parallel upper and lower walls. By compressing the spring, the orifice is reduced in area and vice versa.

:The ends H5 and III of the spring are faced off so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spring to afiord good seats on the plug and washer IOI, I03.

.A threaded projection H9 is formed on the lower end of the body I9 and an internally threaded discharge member I2I is screwed thereon. This member is made of transparent material such as an acrylic plastic so that the drops of oil passing between the discharge tube 81 and the, discharge bore I23 leading to the bearing will be visible to an observer. The member I2I is formed with a chamber I25 between ducts 81 and I23 in which oil will collect in the event duct I23 or one connecting therewith becomes plugged or if the rate of flow through valve I0! is too reat.

The lower end I2I of the member is threaded externally so as to enter a threaded hole in the bearing I 29.

:As shown in Figure 4, the lower end I3I of the body 43 is tapered downwardly from the periphery of H9 toward the outlet of discharge duct 81 to prevent the oil from spreading in a film over this surface.

Operation fIn placing the system in service, it is necessary to remove the cover 'I of the pressure tank Iand open the air valve 69 on the inverted cup 61. Thereafter the required amount of oil is placed in the tank, and with valve 69 open, it will fill the space under the cover and willl aso pass through the filter screen 63 and the screen 6 I to fill the chamber inside the filter.

f In practice, the tank I is designed to hold about six quarts and the lubricant used should not exceed 350 'S. S. U. at '10'0 degrees Fahrefi heit. Usually S. AJE. #10 or #20 is used for the screen and valve here:shown.-

When the tank has been filled and no more air issues from valve 69,.tlii's' valve is closed and the cover I is replaced". The vent valve I6 on the cover is opened, as is the valve 28 on the high pressure air line 21, which can supply air much faster and in greater volume than thesmall vent valve can release it. If this is notthe case, then the vent valve should be only partially opened and the regulator 25 is adjusted until theproper pressure, usually 5 to 8 poundsper square inch, is indicated upon the gauge 29.- The vent valve I6 is then closed and the gauge 29 is again checked to see that the pressure ism'aintained. Thereafter, the individual oilers are adjfisted'byturning the adjusting screw .to compress or relieve spring valve 5, until therequired number of drops a minute are seen. through the transparent member I2I.

Thevalve IIi'I is usually of steel wire having: eight coils and is of .030 x .055 cross-section with. minimum inside diameter and about A," outside diameter. It is about long when free and long when'closed. With a spring valve: constructed on these dimensions, a minimum; fiow of 1 drops a minute can be attained using: a 140 S. S. U. oil at degrees Fahrenheit and with a pressure of 5 p. s. i. on the oiler.

This type of valve has the advantage of maintaining a constant fiow for long periods of time whereas the usual needle valve is comparatively erratic.

The oil in passing from tank I is forced through the small opening between the bottom of the cup '6? and the tank bottom 35, through the filter screens 63, 6|, through the radial holes 53, the bore EI and discharge 3'! into pipes 39 and 4|. Here it enters the cock TI and passes through duct 85 into the spring valve chamber and around the exterior of the spring valve.

. The setting of the spring valve determines the rate of flow of the oil through the helical orifice H3. The oil which passes through the orifice will move downwardly through hole I05 in washer I83, through duct 81 to the end thereof where it forms into a drop and falls through the chamber I25 and flows into the duct I23 and thence to the bearing I 29.

The washer or plug IIlI seals the upper end of the chamber but should any oil escape it would be blocked off by the packing 9|. The washer I03 seals the lower end of the chamber outside of the spring so that no lubricant will by-pass the orifice II3.

Once a setting is obtained, the jam nut 99 is tightened against the packing nut 93 to hold the adjusting screw.

It is important that the oil be filtered before it is sent to the oilers because the distance between the faces on the adjacent coils of the spring are so small that the helical orifice can be plugged very easily.

After the system has been placed in operation, the liquid level will fall as oil is dispensed, and oil will continue to be dispensed until the liquid level reaches the lower edge of the inverted cup 61. However, when the liquid seal is broken, air will replace the liquid in the space under the cup and it will be necessary to start the system again by removing the cover and opening the valve 69 in the manner described above. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that, if the cup 51 were omitted, air would pass through the filter as soon as the liquid level dropped below the top of the filter. This would result in discharging the oil contained inside the screen through to the bearings, after which air or an oil and air mixture would be supplied to the bearings instead of lubricant while at the same time a substantial quantity of oil would remain in the tank. This results from the fact that air will pass through the filter with much greater ease than lubricant. To avoid this effect, air is prevented from entering the filter until the oil supply in the tank is substantially exhausted.

However, if the level does not uncover the lower edge of the cup, the tank can be filled by closing valve 28, opening vent valve l6 and removing the fill plug 32. Whenthe chamber is filled again, valve I6 may be closed and valve 28 may be again opened to continue the operation of the system.

The parts of both the oiler and the pressure tank are easily removable for cleaning and repair.

With respect to the pressure carried on the tank, this factor is governed by the location of the tank with respect to the oilers. If the latter are disposed above the tank, the pressure on th tank must necessarily be greater to apply the required pressure at the oiler. This should be about p. s. i. at the oiler.

The viscosity of the oil also affects the rate of fiow through the spring valve so that a lower rate of flow can be attained with a heavy oil than with a light oil. I

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a storage and filtering device, the combination of a storage tank for lubricant, means for maintaining a constant fluid pressure in said tank, comprising a gas pressure connection adjacent the top of the tank, said tank having an outlet for lubricant, a filter disposed in said tank and connected to discharge filtered oil to said outlet, a closed top container disposed in said tank and enclosing said filter, said container having an inlet for lubricant adjacent the bottom of said tank.

2. In a storage and filtering device, the combination of a storage tank for lubricant, means for maintaining a constant fluid pressure in said tank, comprising a gas pressure connection adjacent the top of the tank, said tank having an outlet for lubricant, a filter disposed in said tank and connected to discharge filtered oil to said outlet,

.9. closed top container disposed in said tank and 6 enclosing said filter, said container having an inlet for lubricant adjacent the bottom of said tank, and a vent valve at the top or said container.

3. In a storage and filtering device, the combination of a pressure tank, having a liquid outlet at the bottom thereof, a filter in said tank connected to discharge into said outlet, an inverted chamber disposed over said filter and having its lower edge disposed closely adjacent the bottom of said tank so that a liquid seal will be maintained until liquid in the tank reache a low level, a high pressure gas supply, a pressure regulating device connected to said supply and connected to discharge into the top of said tank.

4. In a storage and filtering device, the combination of a pressure tank having a removable top and having a liquid outlet at the bottom thereof, a filter in said tank connected to said outlet, an inverted chamber disposed over said filter and having its lower edge disposed closely adjacent the bottom of said tank so that a liquid seal will be maintained until liquid in the tank reaches a low level, a normally closed gas vent in the top of said chamber, a high pressure gas supply, a pressure regulating device connected to said supply and to said tank near the top thereof for applying gas at substantially constant pressure to said liquid.

5. In a storage and filtering device, the combination of a pressure tank, having an outlet for liquid at the bottom thereof, a filter in said tank connected to said outlet, an inverted chamber disposed over said filter and having its lower edge disposed closely adjacent the bottom of said tank so that a liquid seal will be maintained until liquid in the tank reaches a low level, a normally closed gas vent in the top of said chamber, a high pressure gas supply, a pressure regulating device connected to said supply and connected to discharge into the top of said tank and a vent valve in the top of said tank.

FRANK B. HARVUOT.

REFERENCES crrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1 401,057 Perkins Apr. 9, 1889 640,079 Bangs Dec. 26, 1899 1,237,482 Dalen Aug, 21, 1917 1,270,042 Moisant June 18, 1918 1,509,180 Severson Sept. 23, 1924 1,540,683 Durrin June 2, 1925 1,651,866 Bowers Dec. 6, 1927 1,758,251 Davis May 13, 1930 1,905,527 Thomas Apr. 25, 1933 1,923,408 Zerk Aug. 22, 1933 2,089,523 Wupper Aug, 10, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,729 Great Britain 1894 

